September 7, 2019 (San Diego) - Week three of ECM Friday Night Lights takes us to Patrick Henry High’s brand new field. So far, it’s been the site of a big 30-point loss to Morse last week. But the Patriots are faring well at 1-1. Last night, they finally got to host their annual matchup against Monte Vista. These two met last year, where now-UCLA Bruin Jahmon McClendon ran circles around the Patriots, resulting in a 42-9 Monte Vista win. The Monarchs are coming in at 1-1 as well, winning 28-14 last week against Rancho Buena Vista.

Messages of love and inclusivity overwhelm hate group picketing two East County high schools

By Paul Kruze, Contributing Editor

Robert Gehr and Miriam Raftery contributed to this report

Photos by Paul Kruze and Robert Gehr

March 26, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) — Some 300 spirited protesters held a “Rainbow Dance Party” Monday, vastly outnumbering three members of the Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) which briefly picketed El Cajon Valley High School in El Cajon and Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley.

March 13, 2019 (San Diego’s East County) – Westboro Baptist Church has been designated a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The notorious cult-like group has announced on its website plans on March 25 to picket El Cajon Valley High School in El Cajon at 7 a.m. and Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley at 8:50 a.m.

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October 26, 2018 (Spring Valley) - West Hills is 8-1. Monte Vista is 8-1. Finally, on the last game of the season, they were meeting on Monarch turf in Week 11 of ECM Friday Night Lights - the Grossmont League Championship edition.

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August 31, 2018 (Spring Valley) - Chugging along, week three of ECM Friday Night Lights takes us to Spring Valley for the first time in 2018, where the Monte Vista Monarchs, led by their explosive senior running back and SDSU commit Jahmon McClendon, took on the Patriots of Patrick Henry, who are coming off an embarrassing 43-0 loss to Morse last week. McClendon scored five rushing touchdowns in the Monarchs’ 48-21 win over University City last week. You might recall this matchup from last year, when ECM Sports reported on McClendon’s five rushing touchdowns that beat Patrick Henry 34-27. This year, however, McClendon wouldn’t let the Pats even touch the Monarchs.

May 22, 2018 (Spring Valley) - Monte Vista baseball has made it to the CIF Division IV playoffs. Today in round one, they faced Kearny, the winners of a play-in on Monday against Calipatria. The Komets are a near-perfect 11-1 in the Central League and a 17-12 overall record. The Monarchs just barely eeked into the playoffs with a 9-6 record in the Grossmont League and an 18-11 overall record. Senior Cade Logan took the hill for the Komets against senior Ivan Plazola for Monte Vista.

April 23, 2018 (Spring Valley) – Realization: most of today's high school students probably haven't see the movie “Grease.” Since the movie is one of my favorites and was popular for so long, I guess I always figure everyone has seen the movie. Then I heard a girl behind me saying she had never seen the movie. Light-bulb moment: not only have these kids not seen the show, they probably really don't know fifties music. The whole show is an alien piece to them.

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February 23, 2018 (Spring Valley) - Helix may be out, but playoff basketball is alive and well in Spring Valley this Friday night as Monte Vista welcomed Guajome Park Academy from Vista in the CIFSDS Division Four quarterfinals. The Frogs are an impeccable 19-5 overall and 8-0 in conference play, while the Monarchs post a solid 19-10 record with a 4-4 record in the Grossmont League.

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January 17, 2018 (Spring Valley) - For the first high school coverage of the new year, ECM traveled to Spring Valley, where the Vaqueros of El Capitan saw the Monte Vista Monarchs in the pool. The lady Monarchs have a rough start to the season, going 2-4 overall and winless in league (0-2). The Vaqueros are doing a little better; 6-5 overall but also winless (0-2) in league.

December 8, 2017 (San Diego) - The San Diego Hall of Champions has released their November Stars of the Month and a Monte Vista High football standout is on the list, as well as former and current SDSU football players and a Sockers player and former Poway High alumnus.

November 2, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Powerful. That's the word that comes to mind when you see Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry at Monte Vista Monarch Theatre. Over a hundred seats were sold out for this show. Ms. Benitez says musicals usually fill the seats, but not the more serious shows. The seats were filled mostly with peers and that's a good thing, especially for the material in this production. Every student in middle and high school, along with parents, should watch this one.

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October 20, 2017 (El Cajon) - ECM Friday Night Lights is back in action this week with our first-ever visit to El Cajon Valley. The Braves are struggling at 2-5 and 0-1 in league play. Tonight the Monarchs of Monte Vista paid Darryl R. Priest Field a visit. The boys in red and gold are 4-3 overall and 2-1 in the Grossmont League.

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September 20, 2017 (Spring Valley) - It was a showdown between two Spring Valley schools in the pool as 7-2 Steele Canyon boys water polo traveled to the other side of Spring Valley to take on the Monarchs, who are 1-2 to start the young season, but 0-1 in conference play, losing to West Hills in August.

September 8, 2017 (Spring Valley) - For this season week’s edition of Friday Night Lights, ECM was back in Spring Valley, but this week, we were at the other Spring Valley high school. Just like in the Revolutionary War, Patriots were going up against Monarchs as Patrick Henry took on Monte Vista. The Patriots are off to a rocky start this season, starting 0-2. The Monarchs, meanwhile, sported an even 1-1 record coming into tonight.

Kathryn Worley and Daemein Patterson to represent GUHSD in prestigious San Diego County Teacher of the Year Competition

East County News Service

April 8, 2017 (El Cajon) -- At the Governing Board meeting on Thursday, April 6, 2017, the Grossmont Union High School District honored Teacher of the Year nominees from each of its schools. This is a great honor, as each nominee was selected by their peers.

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April 4, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Monte Vista varsity baseball began conference play today after starting the season with a decent 7-4 record. Their first opponent? The West Hills Wolf Pack, who haven’t fared as well, but who stood at an average 4-6 coming into today. Senior Justin Schweizer started on the mound for the Monarchs against another senior, Noah Quintana, for the Wolf Pack.

March 24, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Who doesn't love a good fairy tale? My heart filled with joy at the sight of the full audience at the Monarch Theatre. Once Upon a Mattress was everything a magical tale should be: fun, funny, and fabulous.

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March 23, 2017 (El Cajon) - Tonight, Monte Vista and Granite Hills High girls lacrosse squared off in both schools’ second game of conference play. Both schools sported winning records, with the Monarchs at a solid 7-2 and the Eagles at 3-2.

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February 10, 2017 (Spring Valley) - Though Monarchs boys basketball is sporting a poor 8-16 record on the season, they hold a 2-5 record in Grossmont League play. Tonight, the boys from the Vista hosted the Sultans of Santana, who hold a much better record of 14-11 overall and 4-4 in league play in the Monarchs’ last regular season game at home.

April 23, 2016 (Spring Valley) -- Students and staff at Monte Vista High School know that Mondays are special. They are faculty work days; classes begin two hours later than usual so students get the chance to sleep in. But this coming Monday, April 25th, won’t be a typical one for the Monarch student body. Instead of sleeping in, more than 200 students and staff members will work with “Stop Hunger Now” to package 40,000 meals for needy children in developing countries. The students and staff are excited to be a part of this community service event hosted by their school and nearby Foothills United Methodist Church.

February 16, 2016 (Spring Valley) - Monte Vista High School in Spring Valley is holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of buildings 700, 800 and 800A on Thursday, February 18, 2016 at 11:00 a.m.

Update as of January 19 - The Los Angeles Police Department has captured the suspect, Brian Anthony Gonzales, and arrested on suspicion of murder. Police have also identified the female victim as Emily Ann Fox, 22, of Winnetka.

January 19, 2016 (Los Angeles) – Jerrad Cardae Scott, 24, of La Mesa was a victim in a double murder Sunday in the Los Angeles area.

September 30, 2014 (Spring Valley)—Spring Valley residents can recycle your auto tires, tree trimmings, hot water heaters, electronic wastes, documents for shredding , trash and more at the Spring Valley Clean-up Day on Saturday, October 11 from 7 a.m. until noon (or when dumpsters are full). The event will be held at Monte Vista High School, 3230 Sweetwater Springs Boulevard in Spring Valley.

December 18, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Monte Vista (7-6) was expected to cruise through this Division 4 rematch on December 8th against the Sweetwater High Red Devils (9-4) for the SDCIF crown. However, just like the age-old saying, “On any given Sunday,” this time the whims of fate kicked in on Saturday. Playoffs at any level discount regular season play as a whole new atmosphere. The ironic stat in this battle: not a single pass was thrown in the Monarch triumph early in the regular season play; this time it was the pass that stole the game.

The Monarch strength all season long was the elite rushing attack led by running back Jermeil Jackson. This time around Monte Vista was stymied for a mere 186 yards – all rushing – and only amassed 31 yards total the entire second half of play. This hard-fought contest was full of turnovers and miscues on both sides. The slippery weather added to the ball security issues as well.

October 26, 2010 (Spring Valley) Despite disapproval of two County agencies and community groups, the County’s Planning Commission gave the thumbs up for an Alcoholic Beverages commission (ABC) license allowing beer at Blue Flayme, a new Hookah lounge in Spring Valley. The Commission overturned a decision by the Department of Planning and Land Use (DPLU), which opposed the license.

Hookahs have been linked to serious health hazards. Now, the new trend of combining Hookah smoking and alcohol consumption locally has many in the community up in arms.